Adderall - Anyone else have a side effect of obsessively hacking up what turns out to be nothing?

Since taking adderall my bf hacks, coughs, scrocks, whatever you wanna call it, CONSTANTLY. It's gross and it actually seems to be unproductive. He will do it for five minutes straight, claiming it feels like something is stuck way back in his throat but he never actually splits anything out. Ten minutes later, he starts again. Sometimes a teeny chunk of white (I'm sorry this is so gross) will come of it but not anything the warrants hours of phlegmatic coughing. He's also a smoker and def smokes more when on adderall but I'm convinced it has to do with the dry mouth effect more than cigs bc he did not used to do this. It drive me absolutely insane as I find it repulsive to hear it constantly. Anyone know of this being a dude effect and if there is anything to help stop it??

Responses (8)

That happens to me too not all the time but usually within 15 mins and up to an hour after my med.in the morning . I smoke regurely too and I blame the smoking especially if around ANYTHING in clean, but even then I feel grossed out by the smoke (I still smoke though bcus I love it especially my first hour if day)I keep smoking and try not to throw up until it passes, and yes cus of the dry mouth too maybe.

I've been struggling with this for YEARS!!! Even though the benefits were amazing from stimulants, I tried them all from Vyvanse to Ritalin, I had to give them up back in 2008 because of the excessive coughing. My doctor would always give me a look of bewilderment when I told him that I'd developed a cough once switched to a higher dose. I was convinced it was post-nasal drip, not only because that's what it felt like, but I WAS smoker AND I have a deviated septum... I recently moved to a bigger city and took on a demanding job, so decided I needed to attempt the meds again in order to keep my edge. I started on Adderall this time, the only one I hadn't tried so far.

First month at 10 mg, once a day, no issues/cough, was so excited, but then when I upped the dosage to 20 mg twice a day, that damn cough came back! So annoyed, I tried every medication that targeted nasal issues, post nasal drip etc, (from cough syrup to Tessalon Pearls to Flonase) NONE of it worked, seemed to for a few minutes at a time at most, but NOPE. I started thinking outside the box and began to contemplate, maybe it's NOT post nasal drip, maybe it's originating somewhere else... turns out it is, I took a PPI/Prilosec, and the constant, irritating, awful cough was gone < hour of taking my first dose. From what I've read online PPI's may cut the effectiveness of the stimulant, so an adjustment may be needed, I'll be speaking with my doctor on my next visit. Good Luck! I know all to well your frustration! I truly don't understand how doctors can be so disconnected/uneducated regarding this seemingly common side-effect.

I had to resort to taking mucinex around the same time I take my adderall to offset this side effect. I'm not sure of the cause of the side effect, but seems the adderall or one of the fillers in the medicine must cause excess mucus in my throat. Like the post above states, reflux seems to be involved but if I take the mucinex, no cough, no reflux. Hth

I am prescribed adderall and this happens to me as well, whether or not I smoke but more so if I do. I have found the only way to avoid the coughing is to avoid the compulsion to cough. I believe this originates from adderall's stimulant properties, and the cough becomes a nervous tick rather than actual preventative action.

Well I'm relieved to know that I'm not the only one coughing up lungs! Sucks because when I told my doctor he looked at me like I had 3 heads, and didn't understand what I was talking about. The medicine helps me stay on task, and also helps with my anxiety, but I'm torn because I cough all the time! It's embarrassing! In the end I'm not coughing up anything, like you said before a nervous tick. I have tried Mucinex, cough suppressants, inhaler, you name it I have tried it, but nothing seems to work. Does anyone take anything other than Adderall, and still deal with this? Thanks for posting I thought it was only me, and I was going crazy.

omg!! i can't believe i'm reading everyone's comments & so many people experience this... I have been STRUGGLING with this too & like everyone says it's not only agonizing, even worse, it's embarrassing. :-( I always have a bit of a cough & issue with chronic post nasal drip, but when I take adderall it becomes so aggravated it's almost impossible to deal with. However it's the most helpful medication I've ever experienced in helping keep focused & diminishing anxiety. I also end up taking expectorants like Mucinex, cough suppressants, & decongestants, but like someone else mentioned they barely do anything, they work for a few minutes & then the coughing comes back. My conclusion about my cough minus the Adderall is that it's from a form of GERD (acid reflux) - that manifests in the throat as opposed to simple heart burn.

I wonder if Adderall increases the stomach acid content or somehow aggravates the GERD. Anyone have any ideas? Or does anyone have experience in managing this issue, like ways to try and suppress the cough?

I get the same, it annoys the hell out of co-workers. If you guys do find that it is acid reflux and start using antacid to treat it, be careful with dosing. Antacids potentiate the effects of Adderall by inhibiting the breakdown of the drug in your digestive tract and causing a higher level of absorption into your system.

Interesting! Ya the acid blockers & PPI's all that crap they use to treat acid reflux are really not good for your body actually, and counter-effective for what they're supposed to treat. i personally won't take them. But interesting to know that they actually affect Adderall as well

I have had this issue since I started a year ago. I've been to my primary care doctor, my allergist, and recently an ENT. The ENT did a sinus CT and no mechanical issues were found. He said he couldn't help me. None of them even mentioned side effects of a drug causing it. I am afraid to quit my Adderall. I will try Mucinex and pray it works!